It's back: Black is the new, well, black

The dark cabinetry in this renovation by Moneca Kaiser Design Build serves to ground the space, allowing the wooden slab counter and stainless-steel metal mosaic tile backsplash to pop. The project was a finalist in the Housing Design Awards last fall. Postmedia

Like the ubiquitous little black dress, using black in home décor has always been a timeless classic. But this staple of design, often used sparingly as a subtle accent, has recently ramped up to take centre stage, showing how black is back – big time.

From cabinets to fixtures, window trim, doors, appliances, floors and whole rooms, black is everywhere. It has even been deemed the colour of the year for 2018 by no less than three paint makers, and figures to feature prominently in this year’s CHEO Dream Home as part of the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery (more on that in a bit).

Black accents abound in this customized Urbandale home that was a finalist in the fall Housing Design Awards. Black trim, doors, kitchen island, pendant lighting and more punctuate the stylish bungalow.Postmedia

So why has it become so popular again?

“I think it’s a return to classicism,” says designer Henrietta Southam. “When things get uneasy in the world, people go back to the staples. And black is so much a staple.”

For Southam, who is such a fan of the hue that it took over a bathroom in her home, black is a way to express yourself.

“It’s for people who are assertive, who know who they are and want to be bold,” she says. “But at the same time, black is a great canvas; it’s as strong a canvas as a white wall is. When you have a white wall, objects, accessories, art, people are framed… Black actually punches things out even more. Everything jumps out on a black background.”

Black adds instant drama to a space, adds Natalie Cox of CPI Interiors. “Every room should have at least a touch of black. It’s a great way to add contrast to a neutral room or to calm down a colourful room.”

While Southam doesn’t subscribe to the philosophy of having black in every room, she does believe that if you have black as a strong feature then you should carry it through your home.

And because it’s technically not a colour, it supports any colour in a complementary way, adds Nathan Kyle of Astro Design Centre, who has also used black generously in his own home.

Sometimes, small touches make all the difference. A black tub in an otherwise white bathroom or black bath fixtures against white tile create a classic, yet modern, look.Credit: CPI Interiors /
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How is it being used?

Black is popping up all over the place. At last fall’s Housing Design Awards put on by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, black was at least an accent in many entries and dominated the design of several.

Paint makers PPG, Glidden and Olympic Paints have all chosen a shade of black as their colour of the year for 2018. In announcing the choice, PPG said its reasoning was that black creates the silence we crave in an information-heavy world.

With the more contemporary home exteriors that are being adopted by the city’s builders, we’re also seeing a lot of black window trim and other black accents.

Even appliances are trending black. In a recent blog for Deslaurier Custom Cabinets, designer Andrea De Caria talks of the “colour revolution” going on in the appliance industry, with black stainless steel becoming the new darling as consumers tire of traditional stainless.

“We’re getting a lot of demand for black,” and not just in appliances, she says.

Calling black the most forgotten neutral, Glidden chose Deep Onyx as its colour of the year for 2018.Postmedia

Designer Tanya Collins is putting together the look of this year’s Dream of a Lifetime lottery home to benefit the CHEO Foundation. The home, which makes up the bulk of the grand prize in the fundraising lottery, typically features the latest trends.

“Without giving too much away, black will figure prominently,” says Collins. “The interior will reflect a more sexy, sophisticated, dramatic and bold esthetic, while still affording a family’s lifestyle.

“Think black cabinetry, black marble feature wall, black and white hexagon tiles laid in geometric patterns.” Of course, there will still be pops of colour mixed in to add a little playfulness, she says.

Why is black timeless?

“It goes with everything,” says Cox. “Think of the little black dress; you can dress it up or dress it down, it never goes out of style.”

White is classic, but there is staying power in black, adds interior decorator Candace Plotz. However, she notes, it has changed. “For years we loved the high polish and pristine shine, but what’s so popular right now is matte black, and it’s here to stay.”

Black pairs easily with everything, adds Kyle. “In all its hues, charcoals, mattes and gloss as well as textured woods smoked in black and black glass, all seem to test the timeline of a trend.”

It’s edgy, neutral and chic, all at the same time, says Tait. “It’s high contrast and it will never go out of style, so it’s a pretty safe bet when wanting to stay trendy.”

Bringing black to your spaces

So, what are some great ways to use black?

Doors with drama: “We are all looking for ways to add architectural interest to our homes,” says Cox. “When going for this look I always recommend going bold and doing all the doors; closets, too.”

Start small: Use black as an accent rather than “drowning” your space in it, says Tait. Instead of a black sofa, opt for throw pillows or a black coffee table and black floor lighting. For a dining room, go with black chairs and chandelier. If you keep it as an accent, where balance is key, it becomes a wow factor. To amp it up a little more, while still keeping it small, go with a statement wall or take a small room and paint it black, suggests Southam.

An easy fix: Update your bathroom quickly and inexpensively while being on trend by changing your towels, shower curtain and counter accessories to black, says Tait. Go a step further by switching out your vanity lighting for inexpensive industrial black lighting and adding a black-trimmed hanging mirror.

Shades of black: “Like white, black comes in many shades,” says Southam. For one client, who had a large black TV in a living room nook, she used black wallpaper behind it to help the TV disappear on the wall. Choosing a Fornasetti paper of industrial 19th-century hot air balloons floating on an etching of black clouds, “all of a sudden it’s about the wallpaper, it’s not about the TV,” she says.

Style makeover: Adding black to an otherwise traditional material can create a more dramatic contemporary look, says Sascha Lafleur of West of Main. In her new showroom, for instance, a shiplap wall has been painted black to give it some pop. Ditto for a black seagrass wallpaper used in a client’s home. “You can have the most organic of textures, but when you do them in black, it has this contemporary edge to it,” she says.

Black will never go out of style, says Tait. “Not in fashion, not in interior design. Just like clothing, black looks good on anything and anyone.”

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